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Luchmun Useree is a Mathematics Educator, well-known for his contribution in the fields of Education, Voluntary Social Works as a result of his immense love for people, his messages on values through short educational films, his passion for sports and his activeness in politics with great leadership qualities.  He was born on the 11th of July, 1958 at Surinam, a village in the south of Mauritius; the well-known rainbow island in the Indian Ocean with multi-racial people of different ethnic groups living peacefully.  When he stands back and looks at his growth and development during these past 62 years, he feels extremely proud and satisfied of his journey.  It was not a bed of roses but loads of sacrifices, perseverance, will power, tolerance, discipline and above all he has successfully navigated in these tidy and stormy weathers through thick and thin because he believes in himself.  

Luchmun is the youngest child of a modest and small family. His only sister is no more.  His late father and mother were labourers striving very hard in the sugar cane fields to make him become a successful educated man as they believed that education is the foremost wealthiest tool in the hands of a person, the greatest leveler that erases all the barriers in life.  They were right as this has enabled Luchmun to explore and to get prepared for this competitive world. The power of Education has given him the wings to fly.  After successfully completing his primary and secondary schooling in Mauritius, in the year 1978, Luchmun went to India to continue his further studies, precisely at Panjab University, Chandigarh-the city was beautiful where he was able to pursue his studies in the field of his choice, Mathematics.  Luchmun is passionate about mathematics, a love that he has developed since childhood.  He still remembers how his father used to sit by his side every evening to teach him numbers and counting.  This has ignited in him a passion and love for mathematics.   Seven long years have gone without meeting his parents and finally in 1985 he came back with three degrees in his pocket, a B.A Honours in Mathematics, an M.Sc in Mathematics and a B. Ed with the teaching of mathematics. 

At that time Mauritius was facing a very severe economic problem and there was no hope for employment.  Instead of sitting idle and waiting for an opportunity, he was engaged in social works and politics, following the footsteps of his late father who was a great social worker whom he cherishes.  He contested the Surinam Village Council election in 1986 and was elected councilor and had to resign a few months after to join the public service as Postal Officer.  In 1988 he joined the Ministry of Education as Primary Teacher, general purpose.  He had undergone two years of intensive training course for the same.  

It was in August 1988 Luchmun took the greatest decision of his life to settle and to have a family.  He married Kamini, the woman he loves, Educator, teaching Physical Education at the state secondary schools in the Ministry of Education and with whom two children were born.  His daughter Swati, a Medical Practitioner who was married to Ashwin Mattarooa, with the same profession as her and both of them frontliners, risking their lives during these difficult moments of Covid-19 pandemics.  His son Lohans is at present a student of Engineering in Germany.  He was very happy with his small family.

In 1990, Luchmun joined the Keats College at Chemin Grenier as Mathematics Educator, a post of his choice, a dream, a goal that he wanted to achieve as a career and tried his best to make the most of it.   Keats College was founded in 1964 by the Late Max Wong Ah Sui who was a great admirer of the famous poet John Keats and he named the college after his name.  This year it will celebrate its 57 years of existence.  “A thing of beauty is a joy forever” and Keats has the everlasting joy in fulfilling the dreams of its founder that of serving the inhabitants of the southern region who were not affordable to send their children to an educational institution which was payable in those days.  Keats College has a vision to assume an exemplary and leadership role through commitment to continuous improvement and in devising the best practices in dispensing education that will address the academic, social, emotional, intellectual and physical needs of its learners.  Its mission is to create a challenging learning environment that encourages high expectations for success through development of a student-centered approach that allows for individual differences and learning styles in promoting a safe, orderly, caring and supportive environment towards a self-esteem positive relationships involving all stakeholders students, parents, educators and the community at large.  Keats is a family, constituting some 140 teaching staff and 25 nonteaching ones.  Previously the school population was around 2500 pupils for boys and girls but this number has dropped dramatically in recent years due to the low birth rate and high intake at the state secondary schools. 

This is the college where Luchmun has spent his 31 long years of existence in the teaching of mathematics for students in grade 7 to grade 13 as an Educator, as the Head of Mathematics Department with some 12 mathematics educators in his responsibilities and as a senior member of the management team.    During these years he has witnessed the growth and development of many pupils under his guidance becoming successful members of the different strata of the society.  He believes that learning is a lifelong process and to be able to teach effectively in the modern context, with the actual educational population and the prevailing pandemic, one has to keep abreast of the new teaching and learning strategies.  A teacher can never truly teach unless he is still learning himself. To quote Mahatma Gandhi, “A lamp can never light another lamp unless it continues to burn its own flame”.   So throughout these years of his teaching, Luchmun has continuously upgraded himself with various degrees, workshops and seminars in mathematics on different skills to carry out his work diligently.  In 1993 he completed the Post Graduate Certificate in Education (PGCE) at the Mauritius Institute of Education (MIE).  In 2003 he did the Computer Literacy Programme by the NPCC and University of Mauritius.  Again in 2012 he completed the Post Graduate Diploma in Educational Leadership and Management from the MIE and in 2014 he obtained a Master of Arts in Education, M.A. (leadership and Management) from Middlesex University.  All these qualifications help him a lot in the way of how he sees things and deals with the people around him especially his pupils, colleagues and the management.

In 2004 he had a short break when he went to the United Kingdom where he continued teaching mathematics for nearly a year to the pupils of grade 8 to grade 13 at the Bungay High School in Bungay, a city in Suffolk.  He had to return to Mauritius to resume work as his wife was not willing to join him on that journey because of the children who were too young.  But indeed he cherishes these moments spent there with loads of interesting and enriching experiences.

 “You are lucky to have everything in life today, part of which I gave you and the rest you acquired but always remember that there are many people who will be in need of your help.  Help them unconditionally without any discrimination.  Don’t expect anything in return”.  These are the words of his father which still echo in his ears. 

Luchmun was engaged in social work since childhood by accompanying his father who was a great social worker.  He feels so blessed and grateful to his father who has shown him the way to rise above his personal worries in dealing with all unforeseen circumstances, anxieties and become that pillar of strength to meet all challenges with grace and confidence.  Today he is actively involved in the community with the Lions Club, serving people who are in need of kindness.  At present, he is one of the Directors of the Lions Club Savanne, a non-governmental organization (NGO), a branch of the Lions Club International, engaged in the service of the community, mainly helping the needy and empowering them to take care of themselves.  The organization is working under the five pillars Sight, Diabetes, Hunger, Child Cancer, Education and Environment.  Luchmun was the founder member of the Club in the year 2014. Since then he has taken several responsibilities as President of different Commissions; Education, Health, Environment, Chief of Protocol and President of the Lions Club Savanne in 2018-2019.  During his mandate, his focus and advocacy resolved around the environment with the project of providing drinking water to the public by erecting a Fountain at St. Felix Public Beach, Pointe-aux-Roche- a project worth mentioning.

  Despite the lockdown last year, along with some other members, taking all sanitary precautions, he was engaged in the distribution of masks, food, water and other refreshments to the people in the district of Savanne mainly those who did not have the means to buy.  As President of the Environment Commission, along with the Cleanup Mauritius Campaign, he had organized the cleaning of the Pomponette Beach and coastal road on the occasion of the World Environment Day 2020.  There had been several sensitization and prevention campaigns where he participated in the walk for a healthy lifestyle, the importance of White Cane on the World Sight Day, blood donation and recreational activity with the elderly persons of Surinam.  His team has helped in the making of booms for the Wakashio Oil Spillage management.   

It’s a self-satisfaction that he gets on helping children from problematic families freely, in their learning after school hours.  He teaches them how to become resilient so that they can live positively, independently and adapt themselves to the ever changing situations.  Life is not a smooth journey but he gets satisfaction when he eliminates each hurdle one at a time and moves forward, remaining focused on his goal all the time.  Today he is very happy to see many of them who have settled successfully in life. It really counts for him to help someone as this opportunity is not given to everybody.  Volunteering is in his blood and soul.  It’s thanks to his wife and children’s support that he finds the strength and courage between work and service and the ability to combine all this with his life as Educator and Family.  He has no word to explain the satisfaction and pleasure that he receives in giving; it’s a feeling, the feeling of joys, accomplishment and success.  Last December he was awarded Men of the Year 2020, an award organized by Train 2 Gain.

With great emotions he utters these words, “I have been chosen by the Almighty God to serve others with righteousness in the heart.  I consider myself a privilege, for Service to Mankind is Service to God. The Hands that Serve are Holier than the Lips that Pray.  Thank you God”.

“The best way to find yourself is to lose yourself in the service of others.” Mahatma Gandhi.

“Not all of us can do Great things, but we can do Small things with Great Love”. Mother Teresa.

Today, Luchmun Useree is extremely honoured to receive the Asia’s Achievers Award proudly presented by RULA Awards accredited by the World Research Congress with the prestigious award, ‘Asia’s Lifetime Achievement Award’ for the appreciation and recognition of his journey in various disciplines at a time when he is reaching his retirement.  He attributes this success firstly to his parents, his late father and mother who sacrificed their entire lives for his upliftment and for being his greatest source of inspirations, secondly to the late manager of Keats College, Mr. Wong Ah Sui for his trust in him and given him the opportunity to work in his college, thirdly to all his colleagues, students of Keats College and his dear Lions friends for their continuous supports and last but not the least to his wife and children who are always by his sides for their faith, belief and support in his journey, really without all of them this would not have been possible.